Two hours after his club made a move to deal away one of its cornerstone players, what Philadelphia Union manager John Hackworth was and wasn’t willing to discuss was telling.

Hackworth didn’t shy away from singing the praises of Jack McInerney, the fifth-year striker whom the Union swapped with Montreal straight-up for fellow forward Andrew Wenger. Of both players, there was no shortage of discussion on tactics, potential and ability.

But where the discussion stopped short was the crux of the matter: The finances. And in that regard, the Union found the biggest reason to ship away the franchise’s second all-time leading scorer.

Both players have pros and cons in their potentials, and the financial commitments in the short term are comparable. But McInerney is in the last year of his contract — a fact confirmed by Hackworth despite McInerney, in a separate conference call with reporters, refusing to elaborate on the matter — while Hackworth divulged that Wenger has two years remaining plus two club options.

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Returning value for McInerney and getting in return a comparable player is what sold the deal to Hackworth and the Union.

“Sometimes you can’t plan these things out perfectly, and I would just say that the timing of this presented itself in a way that both parties came to an agreement the we each feel is beneficial for us,” Hackworth said by phone. “There were going to be some long-term implications on whether Jack was here long-term or not, and this opportunity presented itself, and it’s just one of those that, I won’t say it was too good to pass up, but we felt it was the right time to make this deal. …

“This move was more about what’s better for our team, our organization and some long-term implications than it was about any individual players.”

Hackworth admitted that the long-term future of McInerney with the club played a role in facilitating the deal while also maintaining that it wasn’t a reflection of McInerney’s play this season.

The move, sudden though it was, seemed longer-sighted for the Union.

“I would tell you yes, that’s part of it,” Hackworth said of McInerney’s contract situation. “Not that I don’t think that we could’ve signed Jack to another contract, but it certainly presents another set of contracts when a player is at the end of a contract and you know what you’re going to have to do to retain that players’ rights.”

“I was a bit surprised. I didn’t expect it,” McInerney said. “I came in this morning like any other day and John Hackworth pulled me aside and said, ‘we made the trade.’ I was bit surprised at first, but I’m excited now. I’ve heard good things about Montreal, and I’m ready to play.”

The Union return a piece that they’ve long coveted in Wenger, the Warwick High School grad and 2012 No. 1 overall SuperDraft pick. Hackworth has a long history watching Wenger, from his days playing at Duke to his summer stints at Union developmental partner Reading United.

Hackworth sees Wenger as a traditional No. 9 forward, filling the role vacated by McInerney. Wenger’s versatility and technical skill, in some ways, makes him a better fit for the Union’s 4-3-3 attack than McInerney.

“I think his skill set and what he brings to a team in just his work ethic alone, we’re going to give him a good opportunity here in Philly,” Hackworth said. “We hope that when he gets an opportunity, he’ll make the most of and will mesh well with the way that we’re playing and hopefully we’ll get the results we desire. … I think that he has an opportunity to be a starter immediately, but we’re also going to see a little bit of the rotation that I’ve walked about at all our positions, and a lot of it will depend on how we play and how individuals take their opportunities.”

McInerney, the No. 5 overall pick in the Union’s inaugural SuperDraft in 2010, had his career salvaged by the installation of Hackworth as manager in June 2012. After languishing on the bench under Peter Nowak, McInerney scored eight goals in the latter half of 2012, then roared out of the gates with 10 goals in 14 games to start 2013 and a call-up to the U.S. National Team’s camp before his 21st birthday.

In 95 games, the 21-year-old McInerney scored 23 goals for the Union and was their lone representative in last year’s All-Star Game. His departure leaves Amobi Okugo as the lone contiguous member of the Union in their four-plus seasons.

His prolific scoring has largely dictated the recent fortunes of the Union. When McInerney opened 2013 on his hot streak, the Union were in playoff position. Since, he’s scored just three goals in 18 games. The Union, meanwhile, are mired in a stretch of 14 MLS games with one or fewer goals.

Where McInerney seemed to ill-fit the Union’s new possession-oriented system, they return a promising soccer player in Wenger who has found it difficult to fit the system of several Montreal managers.

The 23-year-old has six goals in 51 MLS appearances. He’s officially listed as a “forward/defender,” indicative of his positional confusion after excelling at both in college. With Montreal most often opting for a lone striker — and that role being occupied by designated player Marco Di Vaio — Wenger has found opportunities few and far between.

The finances are nearly a wash. Both players are former Generation Adidas members who have graduated from the program which reduced their impact on teams’ salary caps. McInerney made $189,000 last year at a $125,000 salary-cap hit; Wenger counted $122,000 against the cap, though he made $222,000. But the risk of McInerney pricing himself out of the Union’s reach after the season made getting value back for him vital.

Neither player will make his debut this weekend. McInerney explained that the Montreal staff wanted to give him the weekend to get settled north of the border, and he will join his new teammates in training early next week. Wenger is suspended after picking up a red card for a studs-up tackle on Union midfielder Vincent Nogueira in last week’s 1-1 draw at PPL Park.

The teams are slated to meet in Montreal April 26. McInerney’s first game back at PPL Park will be Aug. 9.